Born George Laverne Chandler on June 30, 1898 in Waukegan, Illinois, USA. His brother Lt. Leslie George Chandler (born 28 Sep 1895) was in the US Army during World War I. He was a flight instructor and was killed during a training flight at Kelly Field in San Antonio, TX on 8 March 1918 when an engine on his plane failed, and then the plane side slipped at 75 feet off the ground. After his own military service during the First World War, Chandler studied at the University of Illinois, financing his studies by playing jazz violin in a band. During the early 1920's, he returned to the vaudeville circuit and began in films from 1928. Most of his early efforts were short one- and two-reel comedies, arguably his best being The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933) with W.C. Fields. While he mostly appeared in comedy and had countless bit parts, he later proved that he could handle meatier assignments, such as the simple-minded husband of Ginger Rogers, Amos, in Roxie Hart (1942). George was a protege of director William A. Wellman , who used him in twenty of his films.
On television, he made his mark as the jovial, well-remembered Uncle Petrie in Lassie (1954). He also had many good guest spots in other series, a particularly enjoyable one being the old man who sells a haunted Model A to dubious second-hand car dealer Jack Carson(with interesting results) in The Twilight Zone (1959) episode 'The Whole Truth' (1961). Prior to replacing Ronald Reagan as president of the Screen Actor's Guild, Chandler had been treasurer for twelve years (1948-60), President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from (1960-1963).
He appeared in seven Oscar Best Picture nominees: Libeled Lady (1936), A Star Is Born (1937), In Old Chicago (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Ox-Bow Incident (1942), Since You Went Away (1944) and Battleground (1949). For some reason that remains obscure, he often played photographers.
He died June 10, 1985 in Panorama City, California, USA (complications from cancer)
